Just a quick question for the forum......
 
I read in the help guide that the default for the I/O buffers is 128. I'm just trying to optimize my system to avoid the nightmares I encountered last week. I'm not running huge projects, but normal, like 30 tracks or so. Do most folks raise the level of the I/O buffers to 256 or greater?
 
Also, should the number in my I/O buffers be the same as the number of my ASIO level of my Focusrite interface? Meaning if I change one, should I change both settings?
 
And one more......can someone explain what the "Use Reported Latency" box is? And should this be altered in some way?
 
Thanks so much for the help.
 
~Jeff

For tracking, 128 is a good starting point.  Of course, it comes down to your interface drivers and system (Some interfaces can comfortably go lower - 64 or even 32 - and still work glitch-free!).  Ideally you want to work in your "sweet spot" -- low enough so there's no noticeable lag-time, but not so much that your system can't handle it without glitching.  An easy formula for this is to go the lowest setting your system will handle, then bump it up one setting.
 
For mixing, you don't need super fast response time.  Bump it up to 1024 or higher to ease the strain on your system.

I run my Focusrite latency at 4-6 when tracking.
if I have a large project and im trying to save resources then I will lower it while im mixing.
 
I have a fast processor so I don't have that problem as much anymore as I did when I used a slower machine.
(which was still pretty fast) an AMD Bulldozer.

JonD
For tracking, 128 is a good starting point.  Of course, it comes down to your interface drivers and system (Some interfaces can comfortably go lower - 64 or even 32 - and still work glitch-free!).  Ideally you want to work in your "sweet spot" -- low enough so there's no noticeable lag-time, but not so much that your system can't handle it without glitching.  An easy formula for this is to go the lowest setting your system will handle, then bump it up one setting.
 
For mixing, you don't need super fast response time.  Bump it up to 1024 or higher to ease the strain on your system.

Thanks. Anyone help me with questions #2 and #3 of my OP?
 
 

Jeffiphone
Just a quick question for the forum......
 
I read in the help guide that the default for the I/O buffers is 128. I'm just trying to optimize my system to avoid the nightmares I encountered last week. I'm not running huge projects, but normal, like 30 tracks or so. Do most folks raise the level of the I/O buffers to 256 or greater?
 
Also, should the number in my I/O buffers be the same as the number of my ASIO level of my Focusrite interface? Meaning if I change one, should I change both settings?
 
And one more......can someone explain what the "Use Reported Latency" box is? And should this be altered in some way?
 
Thanks so much for the help.
 
~Jeff

#2
For the 4 or 5 interfaces I have used with Sonar I cannot adjust the buffer settings from within Sonar while using ASIO. They are greyed out. Sonar picks up the setting from hardware so you have to use the ASIO control panel provided with the hardware. Not saying this is 100% true but in my experience it is.
#3
AFAIK, "Use reported latency" does not do anything. PDC uses the latency reported by individual plugins to force plugins to sync.

microapp

Jeffiphone
Just a quick question for the forum......
 
I read in the help guide that the default for the I/O buffers is 128. I'm just trying to optimize my system to avoid the nightmares I encountered last week. I'm not running huge projects, but normal, like 30 tracks or so. Do most folks raise the level of the I/O buffers to 256 or greater?
 
Also, should the number in my I/O buffers be the same as the number of my ASIO level of my Focusrite interface? Meaning if I change one, should I change both settings?
 
And one more......can someone explain what the "Use Reported Latency" box is? And should this be altered in some way?
 
Thanks so much for the help.
 
~Jeff

#2
For the 4 or 5 interfaces I have used with Sonar I cannot adjust the buffer settings from within Sonar while using ASIO. They are greyed out. Sonar picks up the setting from hardware so you have to use the ASIO control panel provided with the hardware. Not saying this is 100% true but in my experience it is.
#3
AFAIK, "Use reported latency" does not do anything. PDC uses the latency reported by individual plugins to force plugins to sync.

 
Thanks Micro. I think what I'm asking is......should the setting on my ASIO Panel (256, for instance) match the I/O buffer settings in Preferences (e.g. 256)?
 
Forgive my ignorance on this, but I'm just trying to get the settings most people use.
 
Thanks.

Thanks Micro. I think what I'm asking is......should the setting on my ASIO Panel (256, for instance) match the I/O buffer settings in Preferences (e.g. 256)?

Yes, Sonar should use the settings in ASIO Panel.
If recording (say... guitar) while listening to previous tracks, make the buffer size as small as possible without dropouts etc, so there is minimal delay in the guitar track. I try to keep the roundtrip latency < 10ms. If the latency is > 15ms or 20ms, you will begin to hear the guitar track delayed. If your interface has direct monitoring, use this instead since you will hear the guitar before it goes into the DAW and eliminate at least the input latency.
For mixing, the latency is not important since there are no external instruments involved and all the tracks are already recorded (or generated from MIDI) so use a bigger buffer setting to allow more tracks/effects before dropouts. You will notice a delay from pressing PLAY to hearing audio but that is about it.
You can think of the I/O buffers as little delay lines on the in and out of the DAW.

microapp

Thanks Micro. I think what I'm asking is......should the setting on my ASIO Panel (256, for instance) match the I/O buffer settings in Preferences (e.g. 256)?

Yes, Sonar should use the settings in ASIO Panel.
If recording (say... guitar) while listening to previous tracks, make the buffer size as small as possible without dropouts etc, so there is minimal delay in the guitar track. I try to keep the roundtrip latency < 10ms. If the latency is > 15ms or 20ms, you will begin to hear the guitar track delayed. If your interface has direct monitoring, use this instead since you will hear the guitar before it goes into the DAW and eliminate at least the input latency.
For mixing, the latency is not important since there are no external instruments involved and all the tracks are already recorded (or generated from MIDI) so use a bigger buffer setting to allow more tracks/effects before dropouts. You will notice a delay from pressing PLAY to hearing audio but that is about it.
You can think of the I/O buffers as little delay lines on the in and out of the DAW.

Right on. Thanks bro. I'm familiar with the latency issues and when to lower/raise the level. But I was just wondering if the two settings should match. And I think you answered that question. So when I want to record, I'll adjust the ASIO Panel, AND adjust the I/O settings in Preferences to be the same number. Same for raising the level when mixing. Easy enough.
 
Thanks everyone.
 
~Jeff
 

 
I posted this a while back. There are some good animations that may help to visualize what is going on inside the DAW.
https://www.youtube.com/w...eature=player_embedded

"Use reported latency" allows you to correct for interface drivers and/or plugins that don't accurately report the correct layency back to Sonar.

An example is that some interfaces have a hidden 'safety buffer' that may or may not be mentioned in its specifications, is always active and can't be reduced or changed. If the driver only reports to the DAW the latency set in the driver then that 'safety buffer' won't be compensated for. The best way to find out what your audio latency actually is is to measure it using a loop-back through the interface.